Post by chief_cook2 on May 16, 2003 20:47:34 GMT -6
The crab cakes have no onion, no green
pepper, and absolutely no bread crumbs. Bread crumbs are too heavy; cracker
crumbs are used instead.
Maybe you have to live in this part of the country to realize how much
better crab cakes are made this way compared to some versions that have more
of everything than crab. And it is so *important* to have lump crab so that
there are nice big sweet chunks to bite into. You can serve a single crab
cake as an appetizer, or two (or more) as a main course.
INGREDIENTS:
1 lightly beaten egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise {light mayonnaise works as well}
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 cup crushed saltines {*not* bread crumbs}
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat
Salt to taste, optional
4 tablespoons neutral-flavored vegetable oil, such as canola
DIRECTIONS:
Mix together the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, and hot pepper
sauce in a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients.
Finely crush the saltines between two pieces of wax paper with a rolling pin.
Fold the crushed crackers into the mayonnaise mixture.
Pick over the crabmeat to remove bits of shell or cartilage. Fold the
crabmeat into the mayonnaise mixture and season with salt, if desired. Gently
shape into 8 crab cakes, handling as little as possible. Refrigerate,
covered, if desired.
To serve, heat the oil in a pan large enough to hold the crab cakes and sauté <br>over medium heat, about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
A lemon wedge served as an accompaniment is acceptable, but no tartar sauce,
please.
The quality of the crabmeat is extremely important. It is difficult to get
unpasteurized crabmeat outside the mid-Atlantic states and Southeast, but it
is sweeter. I’ve seen crab cakes made with just about every other kind of
crab, but to me none is as good as blue crab. People in the Northwest and in
the South will have other ideas.
For some in this area of the country, Old Bay seasoning is critical, but to
me it masks the sweetness of the crab.
Some people coat the crab cakes in bread crumbs; I think it makes them taste
drier. I also think sautéing brings out the delicate flavor better than
deep-fat frying.
I’ve tried sautéing the crab cakes in oil and in butter; there is a slight
difference in taste but it’s very small, and with oil there is less chance of
burning the fat.
Above all, fold the crab gently into the other ingredients; do not work the
meat or it will break up. Do not flatten down the crab cakes; mold them
gently into a cake shape.